Martin Patfield trumpet - Martin is a remarkable talent and is only 19 years old. He grew up around jazz, his older brother is a great saxophone player now residing in San Francisco. In addition to studying music at the U of A and is in demand for playing jazz trumpet jobs, having already establishing himself as the best trumpet player in the area. We look at Martin as another in a long line of modern trumpet players to start playing great at a young age - Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Booker Little and Wynton Marsalis.

Greg Armstrong tenor saxophone - Greg has been Tucson's first choice for any performance situation for any style of saxophone/flute/clarinet playing for over a decade. He has appeared with the Tucson and Albuquerque Symphony Orchestras and in numerous theatre, radio, television, and film productions. He earned his Bachelors degree in Jazz Studies and Masters degree in Saxophone Performance from the University of Arizona. As a world class jazz artist who has mastered the tenor styles of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson - Greg has formed his own compelling voice.

Gary Moran piano - Gary arrived in Tucson in the spring of 2003. He brings 20 plus years of professional jazz piano experience to The Tucson Hard Bop Quintet. The last five years Gary was House piano player at The Homestead Resort in Virginia. Prior to that were years in New York, Japan and Chicago. Gary is also a jazz educator with a Masters in Music from Virginia Commonwealth University, Carpenter Center Performing Scholar, and an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. For more than 11 years Gary has coached under BeBop Legend Barry Harris. Gary has been studying this repertoire since 1982 and has mastered the music's intricate piano parts and extroverted swing.

Scott Black bass - Scott Black started his study of jazz as a trumpet player at Indiana University graduating in 1976. Six years in New York City followed during which time Scott (motivated by a sore throat and a desire for more small group jazz work) switched from being a trumpet player to a bass player. NYC provided the best possible jazz education and experience, not least of which was six months playing with Barry Harris and Jimmy Lovelace at Barry’s weekly Jazz Workshop. Moving to the midwest in 1983, Scott directed a jazz school, taught private lessons, and played bass with great jazz musicians in Chicago. A vacation in Tucson led to his now permanent vacation home (as he frequently tells people) and a very busy career as a professional musician. Scott teaches private lessons, directs combos at the Arizona Jazz Academy and can be seen performing nightly in and around Tucson. Scott is part of a touring trio with pianist Gary Moran, guitarist Matt Mitchell and vocalist Joe Bourne, performing and recording the music of the Nat Cole Trio. He has also recorded with Tucson artists: vocalists John Ronstadt and Julie Anne, pianists Arthur Statman and Jeff Haskell, drummers Fred Hayes and Pete Swan, and guitarist Ed DeLucia.

Matt Mitchell Guitar - Matt Mitchell Guitarist- Matt was born in Phoenix in 1970 and received his earliest musical training in classical piano between the ages of 8-13. He picked up guitar in 1984 playing mostly psychedelic rock, blues and heavy metal. Relocating to Tucson in 1989, Matt soon attended the University of Arizona, getting heavily into classical and jazz guitar. In 1995 he received a Bachelors of Arts in Classical Guitar Performance and embarked on a career as a professional musician. That same year he also received the Tucson Jazz Society’s Young Artist Award. Matt has been honored by the TAMMIES (Tucson Area Music Awards) numerous times and as an individual, he was nominated (a $1000 award in itself) for the 2002 Arizona Arts Award ($24,000 award) sponsored by the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona. This is the state’s largest unrestricted award to an individual artist. Feature stories on Matt have appeared in the Tucson Weekly, on Arizona Illustrated (PBS TV) and on Arizona Spotlight (KUAZ NPR). Matt has adjudicated various University of Arizona classical guitar competitions including the Schaeffer Memorial Classical Guitar Competition (2001 & 2006), the Stevens Classical Guitar Competition (2001) and the Beeston Memorial Classical Guitar Competition (2004). His diverse musical background includes work in jazz, rock, latin, klezmer, funk, r&b, pop and avant-garde bands, in addition to being an outstanding solo jazz and classical guitarist. Matt has taught private guitar lessons for more than 15 years and is cofounder of Tucson's premier Gypsy Jazz Band -- The Hot Club of Tucson

Fred Hayes Drums Born and raised in Indiana, Fred comes from a family of many professional musicians and music educators. He moved to Tucson in his teen and was one of the first graduates of the University of Arizona's jazz program. Upon graduating, Fred worked throughout the western U.S. with many jazz and pop artists including jazz vocalist Dianne Schuur. As drummer for the Tucson Jazz Orchestra, he has appeared with Joe Williams, Tommy Newsome, Carla Bley, Slide Hampton, Snooky Young and many more. Fred is frequently invited to accompany national jazz artists doing concerts in Arizona such as Charlie Rouse, Mose Allison, Pete Christlieb, Buddy DeFranco, Ernie Watts, Ann Hampton Callaway, Wycliffe Gordon, Bill Watrous, and Bud Shank to name a few. He has even worked with legendary entertainers such as Bob Hope and Steve Allen. He has toured Mexico extensively with Jazzberry Jam and other groups. Current gigs include performing with the Ed DeLucia Trio, Tucson Swings, Jeff Haskell, Matt Mitchell and the Tucson Hard Bop Quintet. He also plays steel drum and leads his own Calypso group. Recording sessions, live performances and a full schedule of private students make Fred one of the busiest free-lance musicians in Arizona.